Heartbeat
by loveanimes1996
Summary: Hibari's heartbeat was slow paced. It was that of a man with no more will to live. Tsuna's heartbeat was slightly empty, one that has yet to experience any hardships. Maybe... just maybe... that by putting those two together, it could create a miracle?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Curse at me all you but my other works will be on hold for this one. I'm pretty confident in completing this one since I've got the ending pretty much completed. All that is left is the actual development of the fic, which is still a bit blurry. I suppose that I will be going with the flow. Also, this is **very **different from the usual type. I've never really tried romance before so this is a first and the genre is not the same. Since I tend to write more "fluffy and humour-ish" fics, this will be a challenge for sure.

**Warning:** AU-ish

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Summary: **Hibari's heartbeat was slow paced. It was that of a sick man with no more will to keep on living. Tsuna's heartbeat was a bit happier but slightly empty. It was that of a teen who has yet to discover the hardships of life. Maybe, just maybe, by putting those two hearts together, it could create a miracle?

* * *

><p><strong>Heartbeat<strong>

_This… It was familiar. Yes. He had seen this scene so many times and yet, he would never seem to be able to remember. Or rather, he would force himself to forget. _

_As he turned around, he knew full well that she would be there, staring at him with those beautiful amethyst eyes. Again, he just stood there and no matter how much his conscious was screaming at him to do something, **anything**, he knew that it was useless. It was too late. Again, she turned around and her frail silhouette was the last thing that he ever saw of her. Before she jumped._

Hibari's eyes opened ever so slowly. _Again_, he thought. He laughed bitterly and as his laughter died away, he noticed that his body was trembling.

Ever since that accident, his dreams would be haunted by that memory. Every single night, as if someone wanted to make sure that he would never forget that horrible sin. As if he could. It's not like he'll ever forget the devastation, _the pain_, which he had felt. A light knock on his door snapped him out of his musing.

"Come in," he answered calmly, his previous trembling having stopped. A young nurse entered. As usual, she was wearing the baby pink uniform and her hair was tied in a ponytail.

"How are you feeling today, Hibari-san?" she asked politely. Haru is normally a cheerful person but it was still quite early in the morning and she didn't want to disturb the patients in the adjacent rooms. Also, nobody would dare bother Hibari more than necessary.

"Well," the man answered curtly. She sighed.

Really, it was pure bad luck that on her first day of work, they would assign such a difficult patient to her. Haru knew that something was going to be horribly wrong the moment the doctors and nurses exploded into tears of happiness when she said that she would be willing to take the job and take care of any patient that was assigned to her. How naïve of her.

She eyed the pills that were left untouched by his bedside critically.

"Hibari-san, I know that you hate taking pills but you have to force yourself or you won't get any better!" Haru huffed out indignantly.

"What if I do not wish to get better?" Hibari asked softly.

"I'm sorry? Did you say something?" Haru was positive that the man had just said something (probably in response to what she had just said) but she couldn't quite catch it since it was spoken in an extremely soft voice.

"Never mind," he dismissed her question with a wave of a hand. She sighed but cheered up quickly.

"By the way, Hibari-san, I've got great news! I'm pretty sure that it can get pretty lonely sometimes when you are by yourself with only the occasional visits of the nurses and doctors to keep you company so, we have accepted the offer that Namimori University has proposed to us: they are currently working on a project where the students get sent to various organisations in order to help them. It can vary from planting rice to give it to the families in need to taking care of patients in hospitals. Exciting, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. After receiving a curt nod, she continued. "Our hospital, being one of the best, has been chosen to be part of the project. They will be sending students who are part of this volunteering program and they would be spending their free time here, with the patients in order to cheer them up. Isn't it wonderful?"

She continued her mindless chatter while Hibari only listened with one ear. He didn't need anybody to cheer him up. _There is nothing left to cheer for_, he thought brutally. After all, he was a poor excuse of a man who didn't deserve anything after all the bad that he has caused. _Yes_, he thought, _nobody will be able to enter. I refuse to let anybody enter my heart again. I refuse to hurt another and suffer the consequences. Better just seal everything than face the pain again._

With that, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off until Haru's annoying chattering was but a dull buzz in his ears.

* * *

><p>Tsuna looked around, slightly disorientated. His visions blurred slightly and he felt something hit his head. Suddenly, he felt a presence loom over him and tensed. He was prepared for the sharp tap on the head that the teacher gave him with a textbook.<p>

"Sawada, next time that you wish to sleep, please do so in your own bed and not in class or the consequences will be severe," the teacher warned before resuming his class again, completely ignoring the boy.

Tsuna heard a few snickers here and there but didn't pay much attention to them. After all, he was pretty much used to them.

He yawned and stretched until he felt the satisfying _crack_ that loosened his stiff joints. The boy blinked sleepily, trying hard to pay attention to what the teacher was saying but really couldn't.

After a few more minutes of the extremely boring ethics class, the bell rang and the teacher's last words were drowned under the students' excited buzz.

Tsuna can hardly blame the poor man since everybody was way more excited than usual.

All of the students were looking forward to the next class or more like activity. The long awaited day of the volunteering project has finally come. It wasn't like people actually _cared_ about it but more like it allowed them to skip school since certain activities lasted all day. One thing for sure is that everyone was anxious to find out where exactly the school has decided to place them.

As they all gathered in the main room of the school were all the important events took place, and took a seat, the lights dimmed and the excited chatter stopped. A giant screen came down from the roof and the projector was turned on. As the students' names were called out, their placement would light up on the screen. There were three categories: hospital, company and planting.

Tsuna didn't care much about his placement but he just hoped that he would not be sent to the hospital. It brought up unpleasant memories, ones that he would rather forget forever. Of course, knowing his rotten luck, he had just jinxed himself big time. Just as he thought of that, his named was called and he looked up. On the huge screen was the dread word.

Hospital.

_Great_, he thought sarcastically,_ obviously I was placed in the hospital section. Who would've guessed?_

It was so damn infuriating how his luck just seems to always turn against him. He sighed. At least Gokudera and Yamamoto both had better places to go. Gokudera got placed in the company section whilst Yamamoto was in the planting section. Despite Gokudera's short temper, he had a knack for business and that is the main reason as to why Reborn deemed it necessary to have him as Tsuna's future right hand man.

Yamamoto, on the other hand, was well suited for the planting section since he not only has great stamina (years of running around the baseball field at top speed really did pay off) but with his cheerful attitude, he could virtually cheer up anyone.

_Really, why wasn't Yamamoto sent to the hospital section? He would've done a much better job than me,_ Tsuna thought.

After everybody was sorted and a whole lot of whining later, all were on their way to their respective sections.

As Tsuna rode the bus with a bunch of other students who he thought were seriously ill-fitted for the job, he thought of the type of patient that he would be getting. He was pretty sure that none of them will be nice since they _are_ people who have diseases that have become incurable. Terminal was it?

He just hoped that the person wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Tsuna was now imagining this extremely mean looking woman yelling at him and lamenting about her life while also bursting out in tears at random moments. He shivered.

Suddenly, the bus stopped, which successfully cut his thoughts off. When he jumped out, he was facing one of the biggest hospitals that he has ever seen in his life. He gaped in awe.

It was only when he realized that he was the only one outside (thanks to his moment of shock) and that nobody had bothered notifying him that he entered but not before letting out a sigh at how he was always being ignored. When he was inside of the building, he was even more shocked.

It was nothing like what he has ever seen. The place was _huge_ and was well lighted, the main reason being because the roof appeared to have made out of glass.

Tsuna looked around and saw many doctors and nurses rushing from here to there, never stopping to say hi. Nobody was sitting down with a cup of coffee in his hand or chatting with a colleague. Tsuna started to feel slightly dizzy with all the rushing around the people here was doing. He hurried to join his group which he could see near the front desk.

Luckily, as he arrived, the teacher was done with the classic instructions of not running around or screaming while giving pointed glares at a few troublemakers and was starting to list their partners/patients. Tsuna had his fingers crossed and hoped for a miracle that, most probably, was never going to happen but he hoped none the less.

Finally, he heard his name being called for the second time that day and the following name, that of his partner, was "Hibari Kyouya". _Well, at least the name doesn't sound too bad. And it's definitely not a woman's so at least, I won't be facing any random burst of emotions. Great, _he added as an afterthought, _instead of getting yelled at, I'll probably get beaten up_. It sent shivers up his spine but at least, he knew the person's name and won't be embarrassed further.

With the thought still in mind, he went up to the 5th floor and asked the nice looking lady where room 18 was. Upon hearing this, the nurse gave the poor boy a pitying look before pointing at the general direction of the previously mentioned room.

Tsuna decided that he didn't like that look one bit.

He took his time, still thinking about a burly man with huge scars that was probably going to take out all of his depression by beating him up.

Sadly, he arrived at room 18 faster than he thought. In order to calm himself, he took a few deep breaths and no longer able to prolong the time, he courageously knocked the door.

Silence.

He decided to try again and met with the same nerve wracking lack of answer.

Finally, he decided to risk it and, ever so slowly, opened the door. What he first noticed was that the room was well lighted and the windows appeared to be open since the white curtains were fluttering gently. He stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind him.

As he entered the room, he felt a gentle breeze. It was warm and it felt good against his flushed skin. As he looked around, he noticed that the hospital room somewhat resembled to a normal, household one. The walls were painted in a soft cream colour and the room was furnished with simple black, wooden items.

Tsuna scanned the room to pinpoint the patient while he was mentally preparing to face the nightmare-ish man that his mind has, quite unhelpfully, created for him.

When he was finally able to find his _partner_, he was quite shocked.

Instead of what he was expecting, he saw a pretty ordinary looking man with black hair and soft features. The man appeared to be sleeping and did not seem to be wearing the standard hospital gown since his clothes were soft blue, not stripped white and blue.

Truthfully, he was quite good looking and Tsuna imagined that the man's slightly tussled hair was supposed to be around neck length.

_He kind of looks like an angel…_ Tsuna thought but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately squashed it. He could only imagine the poor man's reaction if he ever knew that Tsuna had thought that he looked like an angel. Not only that, but it also seemed quite disrespectful to think like that since the man wasn't even dead yet.

Hibari Kyouya's chest rose gently with every breath he took and Tsuna was so mesmerized by it that he did not notice that he was slowly approaching the bed. Before he knew it, he was next to it and he just stared at the man's seemingly peaceful face.

Suddenly, icy blue eyes opened and stared at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Sorry 'bout that ending but I had to stop it there. It's kind of getting late and I do have school tomorrow. Sadly, I won't really be able to update even if I have spring break because I'll be going on a trip.

By the way, if you have any kind of scene that you wish to see in this fic, please feel free to tell them to me. I need ideas and hopefully, you guys will be able to help me, somehow. Also, it would be nice if you spot any typos or oddly phrased sentences. I don't have a beta and would appreciate the notice since one pair of eyes can only do as much. Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I really don't have any excuses for the long delay (hiatus?) except for the fact that I am an extreme procrastinator. Not to mention lazy. But don't worry though, I really want to finish writing this fic so it definitely won't be discontinued.

**Warning:** AU-ish

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Only the plot is mine.

**Summary: **Hibari's heartbeat was slow paced. It was that of a sick man with no more will to keep on living. Tsuna's heartbeat was a bit happier but slightly empty. It was that of a teen who has yet to discover the hardships of life. Maybe, just maybe, by putting those two hearts together, it could create a miracle?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously on "Heartbeat":<strong>_

_Hibari Kyouya's chest rose gently with every breath he took and Tsuna was so mesmerized by it that he did not notice that he was slowly approaching the bed. Before he knew it, he was next to it and he just stared at the man's seemingly peaceful face._

_Suddenly, icy blue eyes opened and stared at him._

* * *

><p><strong>Heartbeat<strong>

Tsuna let out a small yelp, eyes wide in surprise, not expecting the man to wake up. He took a step back, suddenly aware of the proximity between him and Hibari. All this time, Hibari merely continued to stare wordlessly.

Face slightly flushed from embarrassment, Tsuna hoped, quite uselessly, that Hibari didn't catch him staring. He cleared his throat before presenting himself.

"Hello, I am Sawada Tsunayoshi, volunteer sent by Namimori University. People call me Tsuna for short. It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy said with a small bow, willing the heat in his cheeks to cool down. Still bowing, he ventured a peek through his bangs, expecting some sort of acknowledgement. However, he received none.

He straightened up under his own accord, since Hibari didn't appear like he was going to tell him to do so anytime soon. Not one to give up easily, Tsuna continued, hoping that asking a question might force the older man to reply.

"Might I ask what your name is?"

The question itself was pretty useless: after all, the Decimo already knew that the man's name was Hibari Kyouya. It was mentioned when the teacher assigned to the students their patient and Tsuna does pay attention when he needs to.

Sadly, his effort proved to be fruitless, as the man appeared to be harder to crack than the brunet thought: Hibari just kept on staring, not uttering a single word.

Tsuna, who was getting increasingly uncomfortable under Hibari's cold scrutiny (those grey eyes seemed to stare right into him), was about to say something else when the man suddenly closed his eyes and turned around, back now facing him and quite effectively cutting him off. The boy was slightly surprised by the blunt rejection.

"Ummmm… Should I go?" No answer.

Tsuna sighed, feeling a small headache forming at the simple thought of taking care of the difficult man for God knows how long. He headed for the door but before closing it behind him on his way out, he thought it pertinent to add something out of politeness, something that he wasn't sure the man deserved.

"I'll be back later," he said to no one as Hibari seemed to be asleep. The brunet let out another sigh and closed the door.

As soon as the soft click of the closing door was heard, Hibari's eyes opened. He turned and stared at the door for a few seconds before closing his eyes again.

* * *

><p>Tsuna let out a long sigh as he flopped down on his bed, with Gokudera and Yamamoto staring at him, one quite worriedly while the other was merely slightly curious.<p>

"Tenth, is something wrong? If there is, you know that you can tell us right?" Gokudera asked, his voice thick with concern for his boss. Tsuna propped himself on his elbows and looked at his friends, a small smile on his face.

"Nothing's really bothering me. I just had a tough meeting with my patient, that's all," he admitted. "He doesn't seem to be the very open type: he even goes as far as to turn his back to me just to ignore what I'm saying. ARGH! Just thinking about him makes my head hurt!" At this, Tsuna grabbed his hair, tousling it, seemingly at loss at what he should do.

His two Guardians simply stared at each other, not really sure what they should do. Neither Yamamoto nor Gokudera were experts at dealing with these kinds of situations. Gokudera generally adopted a "If I like you, I'll be nice but don't count on it" or a "Fuck off" attitude while Yamamoto was more of an "I'll stick to you only if I like you". Neither of them ever had to _try_ to make someone like them.

They stayed in an awkward silent after Tsuna's outburst, not sure if anyone should say something. The Storm and Rain Guardian kept on staring at their boss as the latter sank further down in his inner turmoil. Thankfully, it was Yamamoto who broke the silence, unable to take the tense atmosphere anymore.

"You know… You shouldn't worry too much, Tsuna. I'm sure that you'll be able to get this Hibari to warm up to you. After all, it's not for nothing that you are the holder of the sky flame," Yamamoto tried to cheer Tsuna up.

"Yeah, the baseball idiot's right, Tenth," Gokudera piped in. "I'm sure that you'll be able to do it! If ever this Hibari person dares hurt you, just give the word and I'll beat him up for you!"

Tsuna sweat dropped. That was… nice of Gokudera. Suddenly, he didn't want to think about Hibari anymore so he decided to shift the conversation.

"Enough about me," Tsuna commanded, "and more about you guys. How was your day? I trust that everything went well." There was a hint of warning to his words.

"Yes sir!" his self-proclaimed right hand man automatically snapped to attention. "Everyone in the company that I was sent to was an incompetent snob but I firmly believe that with the right amount of training and time, I will be able to change them into something more acceptable." At this, Gokudera's eyes sparkled. "You should have seen their so-called 'extremely advanced research facilities'. It's a joke compared to the Vongola Headquarters," Gokudera scoffed.

"Haha, your day seemed pretty interesting! All I did was plant rice. The leeches were particularly annoying though: I had about ten of them stuck on each calf," Yamamoto said with an easygoing laugh.

"_Trust Yamamoto to laugh about anything and Gokudera to imagine that everything is an occasion to train new recruits to add to the Vongola Family._" Of course, none of it was spoken aloud.

Somehow, something Yamamoto said pissed Gokudera off again so Tsuna just smiled as he witnessed yet another argument between them.

"_What would I do without them by my side?_"

* * *

><p>Tsuna took a few seconds to collect himself and when he felt ready, he quietly knocked.<p>

No response.

"_I should've expected as much._" He sighed and decided to give up on politeness and just open the door. What he found didn't surprise him one bit.

Hibari was sleeping peacefully, the white curtains fluttering with the wind. He was in the exact same position Tsuna found him in the previous day. It was yesterday all over again.

The Decimo walked over carefully, feeling like he was threading on eggshells. He quietly set the apples that he brought down on the nightstand and turned to look at his patient once again. The man was still sleeping and Tsuna couldn't help but wish that he could stay asleep. Again, like yesterday, the university student found himself staring at Hibari's face. He looked so innocent and peaceful that Tsuna almost felt like the person he met yesterday was only a figment of his imagination.

Sadly, he was brutally pulled back to reality when the man in question opened his eyes suddenly, staring silently at Tsuna's face with those piercing grey eyes of his. Tsuna yelped.

"_God, it feels as if I just went back through time._" Instead of saying that out loud, he settled on giving Hibari a cross look.

"Honestly, can you please stop waking up abruptly like that and give us normal people a warning? Like stretching or yawning," Tsuna said, feeling his erratic heartbeat calming down.

The boy scanned the room for a chair, found one, pulled it next to the bed and settled into it. He then proceeded to rummage through the bag he brought, take out a peeler and chose an apple to peel. All the while, he could feel Hibari's piercing gaze following his every movement.

Tsuna finished peeling the apple and then cut it in slices to put on a plate. He handed the plate to the silent man, eyes staring right back. Hibari looked at the plate for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and turning around, ignoring the plate and its holder completely, instead choosing to sleep.

Tsuna stared, mouth agape, unable to believe the nerves of the man to just ignore his offer. Getting increasingly angry, he put the plate down on the table harshly, settled comfortably into the chair and crossed his arms in, legs folded, eyes staring at the back of the skylark's head.

"Okay now, listen here. I may be patient but patience isn't the only thing that I am known for: I am also incredibly stubborn. So _mister_, we can do this the hard way or the easy way, you choose. Either way, I'll be here everyday and nothing you can or could do could shake me off so you should just stop being such an ass and just accept the fact that you are going to have a visitor everyday like the grown man that I know you are."

Tsuna was so annoyed that he didn't notice (or simply doesn't care) about his impolite language. No way in hell was he going to let this stubborn prick get the best of him. He was going to win this (somewhat one-sided) battle if it's the last thing he did.

The game was on.

* * *

><p><strong>Important: <strong>I used icy blue and grey to discribe Hibari's eyes. It was done purposefully as both seem to be the case. Just to clear things up a bit.

**A/N:** And that's a wrap for chapter two! It's a lot shorter than chapter one but I didn't want to make it too long. Also, if I added more, it would be impossible for me to finish today and god knows when I'll decide to start writing again. Please excuse the typos: I don't have any beta and there's only so much one pair of eyes can do. However if someone wants to volunteer as a beta, I would gladly accept. Please review!


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